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Hindu Religion / Glossary A-D

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5-Element Classes
These are 5 Tanmaatra, 5 Mahaa Bhoot, 5 Gyaan Indriyaan, 5 Karm Indriyaan and their 5 Devtaa for both types of Indriya. These six groups are indicated here.

A

Aachaman
To wash one's mouth by taking some water in the mouth and throwing it out after shaking it in it. Normally it is done three times. It is customary to do it before doing any worship.

Aahuti
Aahuti is a kind of offering normally used in Yagya. It can be of anything from Ghee (clarified butter through fruit, dry fruits, grains to any dry material. Sometimes this word is used for sacrificing something also, such as "Gandhi gave the Aahuti of his life to bring the independence to India".

Aashram

Aatataayee
According to Bhaagvat Puraan there are six types of people who can be called Aatataayee - (1) who sets fire, (2) who poisons, (3) who takes up weapons with bad intention, (4) who robs money, (5) who robs farms, and (6) who takes other's wife.

Abhimantrit
Doing "Abhimantrit" is a process in which some food, cooked or uncooked, or money is kept in an utensil with a full pot, small not very big, of water. Then by taking a little water in hand and circling the food or money three times with a short prayer according to the occasion. It is offered to whosoever is to be given. Now that food or money is called Abhimantrit, it cannot be consumed by the person who has Abhimantrit it. This goes to the person in whose name it is taken out. This process is done for donations too.

Adhwaryu
According to Ved, he is one of the four priests or Ritwij (Hotaa, Adhwaryu, Brahmaa and Udgaataa) who performs ceremonies. He manages the physical aspects of the ceremony, such as the articles, site etc for the ceremony.

A-Dharm,  A-Dwait,  A-Paraa,  A-Vidyaa,  see  A

Agnihotra
Agnihotra is fire ceremony or fire offering to God. Its meaning is that oblations are constantly offered in the fire of life.

Agyaan or A-Vidyaa
Ignorance. According to Bhaagvat 3/12 Brahmaa Jee created five types of A-Gyaan in the beginning of the Creation - Tam (A-Vidyaa), Moh (attachment), Mahaa-Moh (Raag or intense love), Taamistra (jealousy), and Andh-Taamistra (intense jealousy)

Ahankaar

Airaavat
Airavat is one of the 10 Ratna (gems) coming out of the Ksheer Saagar Manthan when Dev and Asur churned the sea to get Ambrosia (Amrit).

Akshauhinee
21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,350 foot soldiers, and 65,600 horse riders make up one Akshauhinee army. (Mahaabhaarat) Kaurav had 11 Akshauhinee army and Paandav had seven Akshauhinee army.

Atharv Ved   see   Ved

AUM
AUM is the word which represents the Absolute Brahm. According to Upanishad, AUM consists of three letters - A, U, and M, representing waking, dreaming and deep sleep states. After the word AUM there comes a state of silence that represents Brahm.

Avataar
Avataar is the Incarnation of God or gods on this earth to come for some purpose. After fulfilling the purpose, the Incarnation goes away to Heaven. It is believed in Hindu Religion that Avatars do not take birth like normal birth, they just appear and disappear from the Earth.

Baayana
Baayana is something, it may be food, cloth, money or anything else, which is kept separately after doing it "Abhimantrit". It is normally given to any person in the in-law's house, except husband and wife of husband's younger brother, (because she receives Baayana from her). In an in-law's house all people are higher in status than that of Bahoo (daughter-in-law). 
1. Saas (mother of the husband, or mother-in-law), 
2. Nanad (sister of the husband, or sister-in-law) and her husband and their children, 
3. Devar (husband's younger brother, or brother-in-law) and his children, 
4. Jeth (husband's elder brother, or brother-in-law) and his wife and their children - (not his son's wife because she can give her Baayana to her as she will be her aunt-in-law),
5. Maamaa/Maamee and their children, 
6. Chaachaa/Chaachee and their children, 
7. Buaa and Phoophaa and their children etc excluding their sons' wives, all are higher to her. 
So she can give her Baayanaa to any one of them. Besides she can give Baayanaa to her younger sister and sister's daughters too.

She can take Baayanaa from son's wife, Devar's wife, Devar and Jeth's sons' wives, her Maamee, her mother's younger sister.

Barhishmatee Nagaree
When Varaah Bhagaaan was bringing the Prithvi up from Rasaatal, His furs fell in this Nagaree. The same fur were converted into evergreen Kush and Kaas. When Manu got this Nagaree to live, he worshipped Shree Hari on the Aasan of this Kush and Kaas.

Bindusar Teerth
It is that place where Bhagavaan's tears fell from His eyes seeing Kardam Muni's Tap.

Bhrigu (Maharshi)
Son of Varun, the water god. He is devoted to learning. It is believed that he has prepared Bhrigu Samhitaa in which all possible birth charts are given and they give three lives' account. In present times many of its pages are lost.

Brahm Vidyaa
Paraa Vidyaa; or knowledge of Brahm; or knowledge of total existence or spiritual wisdom that leads to seeker to the realization of Brahm. According to Upanishad this Vidyaa, knowledge, is absolute, that is why after knowing this "the unheard becomes heard, and the unknown becomes known".

Brahmaa
Brahmaa is one of the three forms of Hari to create the world. Secondly, Brahmaa is one of the four priests (Ritwij) - Hotaa, Udgaataa, Adhwaryu, and Brahmaa. Brahmaa's Karm is Praayashchit (to do something difficult as repentence).

Buddhi
There is no one word for Buddhi in English language, but it may be be expressed as the combination of intellect, wisdom, logic etc qualities. Mainly it is the ability to discriminate, decide and judge between good and bad, or what to do and what not to do like issues.

Chaaturhotra
There are four Hotaa - Hotaa, Adhwaryu, Udgaataa and Brahmaa. Whichever Yagya are performed with these four people are called Chaaturhotra.

Chakra

Chitta
Mind. Chitta is general term used for mind, which includes Maanas (lower mind), Ahankaar (ego) and Buddhi (intellect). It is used for subconscious mind, the storehouse of all the subtle impressions of one's thoughts, speech and actions.

Chhand

Dakshinaa  see also  Dakshinaa
Dakshinaa is something which is given to a Braahman after he has performed any kind of activity in a Vaishya's or Kshatriya's house. This "something" can be a small amount of money, or a large sum, and not only money, it may be cloth, clothes, silver, gold, cattle or just anything. And there is no limit of that too.

Darshan
Darshan means seeing somebody; a vision; revelation; or a philosophy; to have a glance at a respectable person, sage, Devtaa, or Bhagvaan.

Dhanvantari
Dhanvantari is one of the 10 Ratna (gems)
coming out of the Ksheer Saagar Manthan when Dev and Asur churned the sea to get Ambrosia (Amrit). He was appointed as Devtaa's Vaidya (doctor) since he knew all kinds of medicines. He is the father of Indian Aayurveda.

Dharm
Dharm is those Karm what are prescribed for a person according to his Varn and Aashram. Dharm stands on four legs - Vidyaa (knowledge), Daan (donation), Tap (austerity), and Satya (truth).

Distance

Dwaapar Yug   see  Yug

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on May 27, 2001
sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 03/09/06